I made plans with a friend last week for coffee, and she invited me to come to her neighborhood — West Seattle, where the city’s founders first landed (they moved across Elliott Bay, to deeper anchorage, after only a few months). It’s not quite an island, but it feels like one. It’s a great place, and I was happy to agree, particularly since I’d long wanted to check out the C&P Coffee Company, a reportedly dog-friendly coffee house located in a tiny bungalow on California Ave., the backbone of West Seattle.

Sure enough, the coffee was excellent, the vibe was mellow, and no one turned a hair when I let Chloe out of her messenger bag to lie at our feet. No one turned a hair when I carried her around while bussing our dishes. There were no other dogs there during our visit, but my friend assured me that dogs are welcome. I didn’t ask the barista — the owner, perhaps? — who was a complete sweetheart, because I didn’t want to put him on the spot. While there’s no way that dogs can be officially welcome here, I’m grateful that C&P is willing to turn a blind eye. Chloe loved it, by the way. A patch of sun fell on her, under our table, and she snoozed contentedly.

Don't miss the gorgeous tile fireplace surround

While you’re in West Seattle, be sure to take a walk along Alki Beach. If you’re with your dog, you’ll need to keep her on a leash and stay on the sidewalk, but it’ll still be a fun time, with glorious views of downtown Seattle.

5 comments

Oh how I wish we had something like that here! Ottawa has about 5-6 months of cold winter – and indoor coffee house or pub we could visit with Montecristo would be So welcome! I hate not being able to take him with us. Never been to Seattle but looks like maybe I should … 🙂

Aren’t these kinds of places fantastic?!? In our travels we’ve found coffee shops tend to be a bit more lenient with the “no dogs inside” rule than other eating establishments. Like you, I really appreciate them – after all, it’s not like people are dropping dead all over Europe from diseases they’re contracting in pet friendly restaurants!

Just wondering why you say there is no way dogs can be officially welcome here? I feel like there are a lot of cafes and bars in Seattle where dogs are officially welcome and even more where they are unofficially welcome?

Hey there, Jenny! In Seattle, dogs are not allowed in establishments where food is served (unless, of course, they’re service dogs). Here’s a quick link which has a link to the local rule in it: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2010/11/02/is-it-legal-to-bring-dogs-into-a-bar-or-restaurant/ The Seattle bars and cafés (and I know of at least 4) that allow all dogs in do it either (1) hoping no one will tell the local health officials, (2) taking the stance that all dogs that come in the door may be service dogs, and they don’t feel comfortable asking their owners for details, or (3) they don’t serve food — Beveridge Place, for example, lets you order in food from nearby providers.

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